Winners and losers of the final GOP debate before Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa — Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis met one-on-one on a debate stage for the first time here Wednesday night, just five days before the Iowa caucuses.

It was an important meeting for the former U.N. ambassador and Florida governor, as polls show a close race for second place in the Hawkeye State.

Former President Trump avoided the latest debate hosted by CNN, having avoided the previous four clashes. Trump instead participated in a Fox News town hall elsewhere in Des Moines.

Trump has a 36-point lead in Iowa polls, according to averages maintained by The Hill and Decision Desk Headquarters.

Trump's approval rating is 54%, significantly higher than Haley's 18%. Haley recently surpassed DeSantis in average points, but is only one point behind the Florida governor.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) suspended his bid for the White House on Wednesday, in another unexpected twist to his campaign.

“It's clear to me tonight that there is no path for me to win the nomination,” Christie told a New Hampshire audience.

Here are the winners and losers from a dramatic day from the final sprint to the caucuses.

winner

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

DeSantis has become a much better debater over the past five clashes.

The big question is whether it was too late to change the narrative of a struggling campaign, or whether he peaked at the right time when slow and persuasive voters were paying attention.

Wednesday's one-on-one format seemed to help and hurt Haley, but Haley landed far more verbal punches than she did.

DeSantis delivered one of his best counterattacks on a substantive point of difference: the Ukraine war. Haley is far more supportive than DeSantis of the need for continued U.S. aid to Ukraine.

“You can take an ambassador out of the United Nations, but you can't take an ambassador out of the United Nations,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis also tried to link two of Haley's most frequent attacks on her: her softness toward China (which she denies) and support from some wealthy Republican donors. .

“The elites of this country have sold out the middle of the country to China,” DeSantis said. “She's part of it now, and she's not going to stick around for you.”

In her closing remarks, DeSantis again criticized Haley over a gaffe in which she told an audience in New Hampshire that her decision in Iowa could be “corrected.”

“Iowa votes don't need to be corrected by other states. You all know what you're doing,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis still has a tendency to use overly wordy or rehearsed lines.

Wednesday's attack on the “pastel colors of overheated corporatism of people like Nikki Haley” was one harsh example.

Another consideration is whether the aggressiveness of Wednesday's debate could hurt both DeSantis and Haley and alienate caucus participants.

But overall, the debate performance was one of the best nights of the campaign so far, at a time when Mr. DeSantis desperately needed it.

former president trump

Haley and DeSantis' slugfest is fine with Trump.

The longer and sharper the division of the non-Trump vote becomes, the more unassailable his position will become.

Both candidates who participated in the debate made some attacks on President Trump.

At one point, Ms. Haley said that the next president needed to restore “sanity” to American life, implying that Mr. Trump had helped pull the country off track. She clearly acknowledged the reality that President Biden won the 2020 election.

Mr. DeSantis pointed out, in uncharacteristically colorful terms, that Mr. Trump “sometimes uses abusive language on social media.”

And on the issue of civil unrest, DeSantis said that during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, President Trump “sat in the White House and tweeted, 'Law and order,' but there was no way to ensure law and order.” “I didn't do anything for it,” he complained.

Those moments were memorable. However, they were not representative of the entire debate, which was dominated by arguments between DeSantis and Haley over each other's accomplishments and personalities.

The bottom line is that it helps Trump.

President Trump's decision to hold a Fox town hall diverted at least some attention, and viewers, from the CNN debate.

At the town hall, Trump teased that if he became the nominee, he would know the identity of his running mate. He also attempted to downplay his previous pledge, which was motivated by a desire for “vengeance.”

Trump's prospects as a candidate in the general election remain a big question mark.

But Wednesday was another good night for his quest to become the Republican nominee.

mixture

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley

It wasn't a miserable night for Haley. But that wasn't a good thing and certainly wasn't helping her maintain her momentum.

Haley's repeated references to a website launched by her campaign, desantislies.com, was a questionable tactic. On the other hand, she repeated her name at least seven times to impress her viewers. On the other hand, rebutting her rival's claims in real time might have been more effective than repeating her website name.

Haley has suggested on several occasions that DeSantis' well-documented campaign poses serious challenges to his ability to lead the country if elected.

“If I can't manage a campaign, how am I going to manage a country?” she once wondered.

But DeSantis was able to fend off the attacks by talking about his career as governor of Florida.

Haley's debate moves, including her multiple claims that DeSantis was trying to “demean” her, may particularly resonate with women voters and those simply uninterested in the Florida governor's aggressiveness. There is sex.

But DeSantis effectively questioned Haley's record on China, immigration and culture war issues. Both are important topics for social conservatives whose support is essential on caucus night.

“He's spent more time telling lies about me than telling the truth about himself,” Haley said at one point.

But her irritated tone appeared to indicate concern that at least some of DeSantis' jabs were having an effect.

loser

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

Mr. Christie's decision to suspend his campaign made several headlines.

Perhaps he hopes the timing will boost Haley and ultimately thwart Trump.

Christie told supporters he wanted to prevent “Donald Trump from ever becoming president of the United States again.”

However, Christie's resignation was also an admission of defeat. There is very little appetite for his strong anti-Trump message in today's Republican Party.

As is often the case with Christie, his big moment was complicated. Before her speech announcing her departure, Hayley was caught on a hot mic predicting that she would get smoked.

Mr. Christie isn't really a factor in Iowa, with only about 3% in polls. But he was much stronger in New Hampshire, running in third place and garnering about 12 percent support.

If the bulk of that support shifts to Haley, as many expect, it could spell significant change for the Granite State.

However, the results are not guaranteed.

Christie has obvious political skill, but his party and he are fundamentally different.

On some level, his withdrawal was simply him succumbing to the inevitable.